Cork/Dublin rail passenger numbers reached a record high in 2018

THE Dublin/Cork rail line recorded its highest ever numbers of passengers in 2018, with a total of 3.46 million passenger journeys.

This represents a 10% increase on 2017.

“Recording the highest ever passenger journeys is a high point for us as an organisation, but more importantly it gives us the chance to thank all of our customers, who have voted with their feet in choosing to travel with us,” Chief Executive of Iarnród Éireann, Jim Meade said.

“Throughout 2019, I and my colleagues commit to providing a sustainable and reliable service for the people of Cork.”

The Cork/Dublin service is Iarnrod Éireann’s flagship Intercity service, with 31 services a day operating.

Strong growth was also recorded on the Cork/Midleton route, which will celebrate 10 years of operation later this year. Passenger numbers on the route grew 5.8%, from 413,000 in 2017 to 437,000 in 2018.

Cork/Cobh numbers remained steady with 908,000 passenger journeys being made in 2018.

Nationally, Iarnrod Éireann recorded its highest ever number of passenger journeys in 2018, with over 47.9 million passenger journeys made. This represents a 5.4% growth on the previous year.